A suburban fireworks show was canceled this week after residents reported a “huge surge” of people in a chaotic scene after many waited hours just to see the popular Fourth of July display. NBC Chicago’s Vi Nguyen reports.
A suburban fireworks show was canceled this week after residents reported a "huge surge" of people in a chaotic scene after many waited hours just to see the popular Fourth of July display.
The Lan-Oak Park District confirmed Friday that the annual Fourth of July fireworks show was canceled Wednesday by the village's police and fire departments.
"The Lan-Oak Park District did not cancel the event and shares the disappointment of the community. The park district is very proud of the safe and enjoyable Independence Day events that the park district has sponsored for decades," the district told NBC Chicago in a statement. "We thank the Lansing community for the support they have always shown the park district."
While authorities did not confirm the reasoning behind the cancellation, it comes after videos and photos showed a chaotic scene involving a large number of teens, many of whom were seen breaching a security fence at the event.
"It got packed and all of a sudden we started hearing kids screaming, kids running, cops coming in with lights and stuff. It just got really out of hand," said resident Elizabeth Lopez, who has lived in the suburb for eight years.
Cell phone video from the scene showed crowds spilling into streets and a nearby Walmart parking lot as the event was abruptly canceled.
"[People] were coming from both directions, but it was a huge surge of people, it was a huge surge," said homeowner Auriga Cohran. "They said it was kids, but I kind of understand it because they weren’t letting the kids in."
The incident comes amid new safety policies put in place for this year's event.
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According to an announcement about the holiday festivities, no children under the age of 18 were allowed in without a parent or guardian and IDs were required at the entrance. Also new this year were metal detectors.
"They weren't allowing kids in under the age of 18 without a parent or a guardian which I kind of understand and I kind of don’t because in the past the whole town showed up for the fireworks and a lot of those were kids unescorted and we never had any problems before," Cohran said. "So I don’t know why we had the metal detectors in this big security situation this year."
Cohran noted that some people had lined up more than three hours before the fireworks were set to begin to secure their place.
"It was a disappointing night for everybody because we had a lot of people out here and a lot of people waited a long time to get through that line, just to cancel it for everybody," she said. "It was ridiculous. It was horrible."
The park district noted it was the first year such measures were put in place at the request of area authorities.
"The Lan-Oak Park District has never instituted an age restriction in prior years and has not experienced any serious incidents," the park district said in a statement, noting that it paid more than $19,000 for the fireworks display that never went off. "This year, the Village of Lansing and Lansing Police Department required that the event restrict ages and not allow anyone under 18 without a parent or guardian."
The safety measures come after a number of suburban carnivals and festivals were canceled this year due to large disruptions, many involving groups of teens.
Last month, a large fight resulting in several arrests shut down a carnival in Posen.
Lake in the Hills' carnival was halted due to disruptive crowds and reports of fights and Huntley's Citius Illinois Baseball and More Brewing carnival, scheduled to take place in May, was canceled amid unspecified “logistical and safety concerns.”
The village of Lansing and the Lansing Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
